R.I.P.
Wilson Pickett 1941-2006
Wilson Pickett, one of the brightest stars of ’60s soul music, died of a heart attack Friday (January 20th) near his home in Ashburn, Virginia. He was 64.
Pickett began singing in church when he was a teenager then moved to Detroit in the mid-’50s, scoring his first hit singing with The Falcons on the 1962 song, “I Found Love.” In 1965, armed with an Atlantic recording contract, the singer released “In The Midnight Hour,” opening the gates for a flood of hit singles during the next few years. Pickett’s raw voice and funky delivery was a contrast from the smooth soul being released at the time, and it proved to be a successful variation. Songs like “Mustang Sally” and “634-5789” made impact on both the R&B and pop charts; his biggest mainstream achievement was “Land Of 1,000 Dances,” which peaked at number six on the pop charts.
Pickett continued to experience success through the early ’70s and even released new material as late as 1999. He continued to tour into the 2000s but officially retired in 2004 due to mounting health problems.
Janette Carter 1923-2006
Country music’s legendary institution, The Carter Family, lost its last surviving member Monday (January 23rd) when Janette Carter died at the age of 82. According to Reuters, Carter had been ill for some time and died in a hospital in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Founded by her parents, A.P. and Sara Carter, along with A.P.’s sister-in-law Maybelle (mother to June Carter Cash), The Carter Family is widely considered “The First Family Of Country Music.” Janette, who performed with the band in the ’50s and recorded recorded solo after the group’s split, is largely responsible for the creation of The Fold, a museum/amphitheater located at the family’s Virginia home that attracts 50,000 visitors each year.
— Trevor Fisher
